One More Mouth To Feed
by Tazski
Summary: It's been 5 years since Ichigo and Rukia became a couple, and now they're married, living happily together in Soul Society. But Rukia has a secret, something biting at her- something she will eventually have to break to Ichigo... but how? And how will he react to it? Dedicated to WhiteSheWolf17.


**AN: My first IchiRuki oneshot! This oneshot is dedicated to WhiteSheWolf17 :) I really hope you enjoy this. Trust me, I didn't get Ichigo pregnant ;) Nevertheless to everyone else out there feel free to read it, and tell me if it's any good!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. **

***spoiler***

**ICHIGO CAME TO SAVE RUKIA. **

**ICHIGO CAME TO SAVE RUKIA. **

**ICHIGO CAME TO SAVE RUKIA. Well, there's no proof he did really, but he came straight to Rukia as soon as he escaped from the cagey thing! That has to mean something! He didn't stay behind and help Orihime, who was nearby, but went all the way to SS to find Rukia and the others. And Byakuya... oh Byakuya, he's definitely dying then :( GO SAVE THE WORLD ICHIGO! ichiruki forever ;D**

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With a harsh _screeeeeech,_ the last Hollow was dispatched with a slice of the zanpakuto, which even in this eerie darkness, seemed to be glowing gently with a soft white light. Rukia stopped to wipe the sweat off her brow, panting slightly, the adrenaline running through her momentarily, overcome with exhilaration. She dusted her clothes slightly, removing some of the debris that had fallen on her from the crumbling wall behind her during the flight. She knew that something was wrong though; she shouldn't have gotten this tired killing some ordinary hollows as she had done for many years. However, she knew exactly what was wrong… and was afraid.

With Hollows, she knew exactly what their weak points were, how to kill them, exactly what fighting style she should use to dispose of them as soon as possible, but her new conundrum was anything but predictable. It had happened so swiftly, so suddenly, that she hadn't known what to do when she had found out. How on earth was she going to handle it? As her thoughts continued to muddle with each other, she was faced with yet another worry: how was she going to tell Ichigo? How would he react to the news?

Lost in thought, she didn't realize she had reached the front door of their homely cottage on the outskirts of the 13th Division barracks. Whilst she was still part of the 13th Division as a Lieutenant, Ichigo had chosen to remain a free agent and therefore wasn't part of any squad, but he had chosen to remain in Soul Society. With _her. _She'd been surprised when, instead of going back home to his family, he'd told her that he wanted to remain at her side instead. She still remembered how he'd gone red and stuttered as he told her, and how she'd blushed furiously and agreed to letting him stay with her. However, 5 years had passed since that day, and almost 2 years to the day since they had performed the vows. Smiling at the memory, she pushed open the door.

The smell of food wafted across to her, causing her to stop and frown in curiosity. _Who on earth could be cooking in here?_ She thought. _Ichigo doesn't even know how to cook, so…_

She walked past the rather cozy living room into the usually spotless kitchen, which was at this point covered in flour, rice, some sort of batter, and for some strange reason, cucumbers. She picked up a piece lying on the counter and ate it. Looking around, she saw that the kitchen was completely deserted. Where on earth was-

"Boo," came a soft voice. Rukia spun around, catching the figure behind her unawares with her elbow.

"Ow," Ichigo said, rubbing his chest where Rukia had elbowed him. "That hurt, you know,"

She smirked at him, her hands grabbing his shoulders. In return, he put his arms around her waist and drew her closer. "That might teach you not to sneak up on me like that again,"

He shrugged. "You never know,"

"How did you know I was here?" Rukia asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought I was able to mask my reiatsu entirely from you now,"

It was Ichigo's turn to smirk now. "Not quite," he answered. "I sensed your presence the moment you approached the doorstep,"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "So much for secrecy, these days. Were you by any chance thinking of surprising me with dinner?"

"How on earth did you know that?" Ichigo replied, his tone incredulous. In response, Rukia slid her arms around his neck, breathing in his cool scent.

"Well," she began. "Someone's clearly been cooking in the kitchen, and I doubt Nii-sama decided to show us some compassion and cook dinner for us today. I'm not sure he even knows what cooking is,"

Ichigo sighed in defeat. "Fine, you got me," he said. "Is it so wrong for me to want to surprise my wife for a change? And well…" his voice trailed off, looking at her carefully. "I thought you'd be tired and all. Not… _this_," he gestured to her with a nod of his head.

Rukia looked hurt for a moment, her eyes going wide as she unwound her arms from around Ichigo's neck. "If you put it like that, then… I'll just go, shall I?" And with that, she started walking away, only for Ichigo to grab her arm first, pulling her back towards him. He looked determinedly into her eyes, studying the enigmatic array of blues and violets within, and slowly, slowly, he began to lean towards her, his eyes half closed…

He felt Rukia whip her head around, causing him to catch a faceful of hair instead. He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly, brushing the hair out of his eyes, to find Rukia smirking devilishly at him.

"Nice try, but you're covered in flour and batter," she said. She felt a squirm of guilt inside for pushing him away, but she wouldn't be able to relax- fully- if he didn't know the truth. But since he'd cooked dinner for her… it could wait. Ichigo looked down at his clothing which was covered entirely in flour, batter and grains of rice, and shook his head, sighing.

"I thought girls were supposed to like the messy type?" he grinned, before catching sight of the alarming expression on Rukia's face. Much to her surprise, he kissed her gently on the forehead anyway, before answering, "Fine, whatever you say. I'll be back in a sec," and with that, he bounded up the stairs. Rukia smiled to herself, and after washing the last vestiges of blood off her face and hands sat down at the dinner table. Ichigo joined her moments later, sliding into the chair next to her.

Rukia bit into the rice dumplings, savouring the warm delicacy, relishing the taste. "This is delicious," she said in between mouthfuls. "Who did you borrow the recipe book from?"

At this, Ichigo's face grew dark. "Don't ask," he muttered. "I'm _never _asking the Shinigami Women's Association for anything. _Ever_,"

"It was nice of you to make me dinner though," Rukia said, every ounce of sincerity in her voice. "It makes a nice change coming home and not having to do anything," _Especially in this condition,_ she thought. She smiled at him, her eyes shining. Ichigo couldn't help but smile back, feeling the usual butterflies in his stomach at her smile. It was one of the many things he loved about-

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill sound of what he recognized as Rukia's Hollow Tracker. She pulled it out, frowning, gazing at the screen for a few seconds, before leaping out of her chair.

"There's a Hollow nearby, 5 minutes from here. We have to go, and quickly," she said, grabbing Sode No Shirayuki. Luckily Ichigo had thought of changing into his shinigami robes, and quickly grabbing Zangetsu, followed her outside. They reached the area where the Hollow was supposed to be, a deserted park, within 2 minutes.

"It's quiet here," Ichigo stated, his voice sounding distant in the night. "A bit _too_ quiet, don't you think-" His voice was cut off by the familiar roar of a Hollow, followed by another… and another… and even another.

"I thought there was only supposed to be one?" Ichigo shouted to Rukia, as he took his usual stance in fighting Hollows, circling it to begin with.

"That's what I thought too!" she shouted back, dispatching the first Hollow with relative ease. "I'm sure we can handle these, though,"

The new few minutes were spent in relative silence, the only sound being the telltale screech of the Hollows being disposed of. Soon enough, Ichigo finished off the last one, and wiping the sweat off his brow, he advanced towards Rukia, who had her back turned. Her heart was pounding, wondering how she would break the news to Ichigo. Gently would do it, she decided. Quick as a flash, another Hollow materialized, and before either of them could do anything, it slashed Rukia with its talons once, before Ichigo ran towards it and sliced it, finishing it off.

"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted, running forward as the last hollow disappeared "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling besides her. In the dim glow of the streetlight, her face looked paler by comparison, and he could see she had been cut just above her ribcage, the blood dark in the yellowish light.

"Damn," he muttered, propping her against a wall, and then putting his hands over her chest to help her heal. "You should've been more careful, you know that? What if something had happened to you? What if-"

"Ichigo." Her voice was firm, despite her injury, and carried with it an air of… what? "Firstly, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," she said, pushing his hands away, ignoring his protests. She looked at him once, his eyes wide, concern etched into his face. "I suppose… this isn't the place to tell you this, but…"

"But what?" he prompted.

"Ichigo… I'm pregnant," she said, struggling to get the words out, determinedly looking away from him, not wanting to see his reaction. He remained silent for a long time, in fact, so long that Rukia eventually plucked up the courage to see his reaction. His expression was one of disbelief, but changed to one of surprise, and then….what?

"Well," he began finally. "It explains a lot of things,"

"Like what?" Rukia asked, feeling her worry grow with every second that passed. Would he be mad? Would he want to leave her? Would he want her to abort the child? It had only been a few weeks since she'd found out, but she'd grown attached to the baby. It was a part of her now, and she didn't want to let go.

"Like… the mood swings. The silences. I knew something was up… but I didn't want to ask, thinking you'd tell me yourself when you felt like it. But I guess I know now,"

"Are you mad?" Rukia asked, surprised to find that her voice was shaking. Ichigo regarded with a strange look on his face.

"Mad?" He asked. "Why would I be mad?" His voice had dropped to a whisper, as he looked into her eyes, before leaning forward and pulling her into a gentle hug, aware of her injury.

"You're not mad then?" she asked again, her voice muffled slightly as she buried her head into his chest.

"I'm going to be a father, and you're asking me if I'm _mad _about that?" He pulled away, and regarded his wife with a mixture of incredulity and disbelief. "You're unbelievable,"

"I know," she said, as he leaned towards her once more, pressing his lips to hers. She could never quite get over the feeling of kissing Ichigo, a feeling that made her feel rather jumpy, nervous and excited at the same time. They remained like for some time, her arms around his neck, his arms around her back, holding her close. They broke apart, Rukia leaning her head against Ichigo's chest. She felt comfortable there, at peace, and it gave her a measure of satisfaction that no words could describe.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked, after a while.

"Hmm?"

"Um… I was wondering… how on earth are we going to tell Byakuya?"

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**I'm still squealing over the latest chapter *gushes***

**Tell me how the oneshot was!**


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